Stranger in a Strange Land
by Anquietas
Summary: A simple soldier from one world will change the fate of another. As for characters, expect anyone from Lord of the Rings and my OC from Halo, other characters from Halo might appear later, and I stretch 'might.'
1. Chapter 1

There was a chilling wind in the woods, the dead leaves slightly crackled as they rolled on the ground. It was just before nightfall, although light was already scarce, besides the wind, the one thing you could hear were the sighs of exasperation of a few tall figures, shrouded in worn, dark green clothing, hoods on their heads, their hands on the hilts of their swords. One sigh was louder than the others "Peace, Mr. Maggot, slow down, your words are tumbled. Now. Start from the beginning."

Farmer Maggot sat on a stump of an old tree, his furry feet dangling, his hands shaking, the sweat on his forehead glistened in the soft light that trickled through the branches. "W-Well, I was minding my own business, see. Chopping some firewood for the evening, wh-wh-when, th-th-these _dark _riders appeared out of nowhere. Their very presence sent a chill down me spine." he looked around the dark figures nervously, not because he was afraid of them, he knew who they were, but what happened to him the day before was something that will haunt him for the rest of his days "And, one of them asked where Hobbiton was, where Mr. Baggins lived, I-I was so scared, the answer was out my mouth before I could stop myself." Mr. Maggot looked absolutely ashamed, but there was no malice or disappointment in the man's eyes as he looked down on the halfling before him.

He knelt down to Mr. Maggot's height and placed a large hand on his small shoulder "You are not to blame, Mr. Maggot." he looked behind him and nodded to his men, who vanished in the trees in a blink of an eye "We will find these... dark riders. Rest assured. Now go. And do not trouble yourself any further with this matter. The Rangers will deal with this encroachment."

When Mr. Maggot looked up, the man was gone, he sat there in silence for a moment before heading off home which was just down the hill. His family waiting.

* * *

"This isn't the first time in these many months that we've heard of strange happenings in these lands, Halbarad." one Ranger said as they sat around a warm fire.

Halbarad, for his part, showed no worry, for he was deep in thought "I know, brother. We need more information. Something moves in the dark veils that hasn't chosen yet to reveal itself, it's biding its time."

"Any news from Strider?" one Ranger asked.

"No, I have not spoken to him in a while, but I have received a message from Gandalf a few weeks ago, right after the hobbits' celebration in Hobbiton. He is on the move and he has asked for Strider's help in the matter. He wasn't forthcoming with any details, but I sense that we should be prepared for the worst at all times."

The Ranger commanders around Halbarad all nodded their heads, all except one. Halbarad noticed.

"Angal, you've been quiet of late. Something troubles you."

Angal looked up from the fire as he removed the pipe from his mouth and sternly nodded "You are correct, Halbarad. I have been hearing of, strange dealings. Reports from my scouts... news... most disturbing indeed." Angal looked around the fire and saw that he had everyone's undivided attention "Just before the first flowers bloomed in Spring, two of my men found a party of orcs on the shores of Lake Evendim. Judging by their experienced reading of the land, they determined that the orcs were ambushed in the night, two dozen orcs, a single attacker." looks of surprise passed between the attentive Rangers "The state of the orcs, it was hard to believe, bodies charred, but no fire, limbs bent at unnatural angles. Most of the orcs died from stabs, however the marks did not seem to match with anything we have ever encountered. Not the work of men, nor elves, nor of other orcs. The cuts were too small to be swords, but too powerful to be that of daggers, and the precise manner of each cut..." Angal's face contorted in a lopsided smile "I only wish I could have been there to witness this... man, being slaughter those monsters."

"Aye." a Ranger sitting next to Halbarad spoke up "I wasn't sure of what it was that I precisely witnessed until I heard Angal's tale. Not long ago, west of the North Downs, we happened to come upon a halfling settlement that had been attacked by a pack of orcs. Five families, each numerous in its own right, reduced to a handful of people. My heart broke and my anger swelled. But it was tempered when the halflings told us what happened, just as I described, the attack came in the night, men, women, small children dragged from their homes and gathered in the center of their encampment. The orcs... they started their.." the man's grip on his sword tightened as he fought with himself over which were the right words to utter, finally he spoke "The Hobbits claimed that they were saved... by a shadowy figure. Before the orcs could completely slaughter them, a massive being wrapped in dark cloth appeared out of nowhere, and every time one of its limbs connected with an orc, the dark creature mastered for a short while the talent of birds... and flew." some of the men chuckled "I know, I know how this tale must seem, but I swear this be the truth."

"I do not think that your claim is what they enjoy so much." Halbarad smiled

"Aye! We would need a catapult to send one of those creatures flying to the clouds above!" exclaimed another Ranger while chewing on a piece of salted pork.

The men settled down so the Ranger could continue "Before it began, it was over. The orcs were all dead. Before the hobbits could regain enough courage to even stand, the being was gone." and to match his words, the winds blew just a little bit stronger for a short moment.

Halbarad stood and looked at the men around him, 30 Rangers, all good men and great warriors, but none of them could accomplish such a feat, especially not alone. A strange feeling crept its way up Halbarad's back. The world as he knew it, was about to change. For good, or for worse, he could not tell.

"We will stay here for the night, tomorrow, before first light we will form parties, five Rangers each. If this... being is an agent of darkness, we will need to remove it. Permanently. The Shadow in the East is powerful in its own right and our order has seen better days. We must act decisively."

"And if this being... is an agent of light?"

"Then we will count our blessings, but for now, assume the worst."

"Hmm... interesting, they speak English..." the being in question listened from a great distance, standing on a stronger branch of a massive oak. A smile forming under its cloak.


	2. Chapter 2

"Man, these guys sure don't give up." said a shadowy figure to itself as it sprinted through the dark forest, playing a game of cat and mouse with the men in hoods, although, you'd be hard pressed to determine who the cat and who the mouse was. The being practically danced circles around these men, they were skilled and hardy, but they didn't even come close to the abilities of this being.

* * *

The Rangers have been tracking this creature, this being for the past two weeks now, it was heading south-east, its path taking it awfully close to Bree, especially close to Combe. They feared what might occur if the being decided to venture into the village. If this being wrapped in shadow wasn't a mystery by itself, the tracks it left were even a bigger one. The width of its stride conflicted with its size and speed, it appeared as if the being moved as fast as pureblood elvish stallion, but the description the hobbits gave, it was massive. Nothing that big could move so fast, especially not on two legs. The footprints themselves were even a bigger mystery, the few that the Rangers could make out were shallow as if the being's weight was far smaller that its size would suggest, but more strangely, the prints were angular.

Halbarad, the most skilled of trackers and land readers, second only to Strider was worried. A being, larger than the strongest of orcs, but smaller than a troll and swift as the wind, it knew how to cover its tracks, it knew how to fight, how to evade capture, how to even evade the Rangers. The fog of uncertainty began to descend upon his men, even if they found this being, he wasn't so sure they could stop it if it proved to be an agent of the Dark Lord, even with far greater numbers, he wasn't certain of victory.

"Chieftain!" a Ranger shouted from the top of a ridge south of them.

Halbarad and the rest of the Rangers around him sprinted to the scout's location, when they arrived, the man's face was pale as river stone. He returned his gaze to whatever frightened him, the rest of the Rangers followed his gaze.

A troll. A dead troll. With its own crude, massive axe embedded in its chest, more disturbingly, it looked as if the blow was meant for its head, but only stopped halfway down its body, as if, something tried to split the being in two right down the middle.

Halbarad's men looked horrified, Halbarad himself was somewhat disturbed. A chill ran down his spine. It wasn't enough that they had to contend with orcs and goblins coming down from the mountains, but if the descriptions were true, they now also had to contend with the Nine. Halbarad was worried to the bone, however he locked it away deep in his heart. There were more important things at hand than his fears. He needed to be strong for the Dunedain in Strider's absence.

Two scouts stepped closer to the corpse to examine it, working together to lift the creature's massive limbs, to find clues as to what could have caused its death. They lifted its arms, nothing, then its left leg, nothing. Then, the right, and one of the scout's jaw literally dropped, his eyes grew large with surprise. "Master Angal, look!" he said. Angal stepped forward from Halbarad's side to examine the wound on the troll's leg. A small stab wound to its hamstring, same shape as before and incredibly deep. A small blade that apparently quite without much difficulty cut deep into the troll's thick hide. The only weapons that could cut a troll's hide so easily were elvish blades and... "It's him." Angal spoke with solid conviction. "It would seem that our quarry happened to come across this troll. I cannot tell you who attacked first, but I can tell you who finished it." he looked up into Halabarad's eyes as he spoke.

Halbarad stroked his short beard as he spoke "Never in my long years have I ever heard of such a being, something, comparably much smaller than a troll, and yet, it would seem, far more powerful." then in a much louder tone "Gather the men! Tell them to leave all possessions that might slow them down." he looked to the sky "It will be noon soon. We have until then to gather our strength and wits, at noon, we will make with all haste. We must reach this being before it reaches Breehill."

* * *

By this time, the Rangers' quarry was miles away, darting through the strange forests of this land, trying to put some distance between it and its pursuers. Not because it was afraid, but because they weren't ready for such knowledge. The being worried about its presence contaminating the culture of this world. However it had come across a handful of situations in which its attitude of noninterference flew straight out the window when it was attacked or if some of the strange, but innocent people of this world were preyed upon. The principles instilled into this being and its own moral compass were too strong to place its own safety and security above the lives of others.

"It's starting to get dark.." the being thought to itself "..and if I'm not mistaken, those are some nasty looking storm clouds."

It stopped for a moment when it reached the top of a high hill, it could see a somewhat sizable settlement somewhat far away, it was still at least 10 klicks away, determined the being, eyeballing the distance, but it soon became clearer when lights started to appear in windows, signaling the coming of nightfall. The being marked the position of the village and as soon as it reached the tree line, it took a knee in the undergrowth. Taking the pack from its back and going through its contents.

"Damn. Down to my last MRE. I need food, ASAP." it murmured to itself in a low voice. It looked through the pockets of the bag, finding nothing edible, just some other strange objects, well, strange maybe to the people of this medieval world, the being thought to itself, chuckling slightly. It was a tick the being had, it enjoyed talking to itself when it was alone. Kept things a few knotches above boring and uneventful.

The being checked the straps to the sheets of dark and worn cloth it had found in an old and abandoned home, it wrapped them around its body and limbs, making a hood for its head. The being hummed with approval "At least these bad boys aren't coming off by accident." Even if spotted, the being didn't want its true self to be seen, instead, just a shadowy figure in the dark, the people of this world didn't need any more than that.

"Good" the being said standing up and placing the pack on its back "Everything's in the green." if anyone would have been watching this being, it would have surprised the watcher to notice that the being as soon as it stood up, headed _directly _in the direction of Bree, a perfect, straight line. As if it could tell where the village precisely was.

It started moving and not 10 paces later it was already moving faster than any horse in the Northern Kingdoms.

As the being moved swiftly through the thick forest with minimal effort and a goal oriented mind, the beauty of the place was not lost upon it. It admired the massive trees and the few curving rivers. This strange place was getting more interesting with every day the being spent on this world.

It had been on this world since late Winter, the being noted that this world was shockingly close to its own home when it came to the hours in a day, and months in a season. It unnerved the being for a bit, but it didn't waste much thought on such matters. Survival was its most important goal.

The discovery that this world contained humans came as a slight shock, and the recent revelation that they spoke an old version of English of all languages was the cherry on top, but what first was relief soon turned to worry, they weren't the same humans this being was so familiar with. The homes they lived in, their clothing, their entire society, the being not only felt out of place, but also out of time. For a brief moment the being wondered if this world was actually its home, but not in the same time it should be. The discovery of strange and unknown flora and fauna dismissed that notion. However what really disproved it was what the being encountered just when Spring started to set in.

The creatures, they weren't as strange as the being's old foes, they looked remarkably like a mutant missing page of the primate family, however their strange and annoying language, their clothing, _armor and weapons _quickly dismissed that theory. The being observed from a safe distance, they were beyond strange, even the air around them felt nasty, unpleasant, like putting food in one's mouth and expecting it to be sweet and pleasant only for it to turn out to be burned and rotten. However, life is life, no matter how strange it is, the being thought... that until it noticed what the beings were wearing as ornamentation. _Skulls. Human_ skulls. And their yet not fully formed structure confirmed the being's worst fear. Children. The second that realization struck the being, the rage that surged through its body was like a tidal wave. It was on them in seconds. All reason gone. Luckily the training it received made the being highly efficient in an angered state instead of being the common crutch of battle for most if its kind.

_:flashback:_

"Die, you motherfuckers!" the being punched one of the dark creatures straight in the face, the sickly crunch of bone echoed through their camp, before the second of the creatures could even raise its head a strange, black dagger ripped through most of its neck, its head dangling like a worm on a hook, it was dead before it fell into the campfire, kicking up ash and smoke. The being leaped over the fire in a great spinning arch, going feet first at two other creatures, both of them succumbing to the being's weight and strength, two rib cages snapped and popped. By this time the rest of the creatures realized they were under attack and they started screaming and howling and swinging their pathetic, rusted swords around, trying desperately to hit the massive being as it perfectly avoided every, stab, lunge, cut and swing. But in all honesty, the dark creatures might as well could have been moving at a snail's pace, it made little to no difference to the massive warrior. They died all the same. No remorse. No mercy. They received just as much as they gave their prey. None. A more massive orc stumbled towards the being trying to punch it, it was rewarded with its forearm getting snapped like a dry twig, a fist punching its jaw clear off its head before it could howl in pain. Another creature tried to jump on the warrior's back, its reward was having its femur stomped on and having a dagger smashed into the top of its head was his end.

Everything returned to normal speed for the being just about as the last creature hit the ground with an axe in its back as it was trying to run for cover.

The being calmed its somewhat slightly paced breathing and steadied itself. It looked down to the small bag the first creature was feeding from, the red stain on its bottom a clear signature of suffering, a sharp contrast to these creatures' dark, black blood. It lifted the bag from the ground, tied a heavy stone to it and threw it into the lake these creatures were resting near.

_:end flashback:_

The other event the being experienced about a month ago was, for all purposes, much worse. A reminiscent to battles fought for its own people. The cruelty and brutality of it. The being blamed itself for not helping the people who fell victim to the first horde of these creatures it had come across. But this time, this time it was different. And the being acted. The creatures were almost twice as numerous as before, but they fell screaming all the same. The small, child-like people the being saved were another mystery of this strange world, but the being decided to let them be once it completed its task, not wanting for shock to turn into unwanted questions, questions the being couldn't give answers to.

The massive creature the warrior encountered two days ago was a very different story. It eerily reminded the being of an old foe, however it was much slower and stupider than the ones the warrior fought against, stupider... the warrior laughed to itself, if such a thing was possible. Nothing was stupider than those hairy freaks.

The warrior sighed deeply as it came closer and closer to the village, by this time, the rain started to prickle, the dip-dap sound against broad leaves echoed through the woods.

By nightfall, the being would arrive. However what action it would take upon arrival was something the warrior hadn't figured out yet.

"I'll cross that bridge when I come to it." it said to itself.


	3. Chapter 3

The storm had finally arrived, this world's star had gone down a while ago and darkness covered the land. The heavy raindrops were pelleting the warrior as it stood on top of a small hill, hidden between tall and strong trees, not that anyone could spot the warrior, but its instincts and training always told it to find the best hiding spots.

The being observed the town closely, noting every landmark, every structure that stood out more than the rest, if it had no choice but to enter the small town, visual references were its best way of navigation. It watched closely the village's western gate from about 200 meters, it had been watching it for roughly 3 hours without even moving an inch. Patience was always one of the warrior's many positive traits. So far not many people have come or gone, a small wagon with two horses, a man in a bright blue coat, hunched over in boredom, three more men with a small herd of sheep, that was another coincidence the warrior was slightly unnerved by, not only people, but animals as well, and yet, this world did not belong to the warrior's people. "Something very strange is going on here, but that's for later. Come on, a little more activity is all I'm asking for, I need more information." So the being decided to venture a bit closer to the village, moving swiftly downhill, being careful not to cause any more noise than the storm was making. Timing its massive leaps with thunder. Finally arriving in a dried up riverbed that was already partially filled because of the heavy storm. The warrior wasn't more than 50 meters from the gate now. It could hear an old man on the other side of it talking to himself absentmindedly.

"Leave ol' Goatleaf out in the rain! On a night like this, me old bones can't take it anymore!" the being could hear the old man complain as he walked about, the light of the lantern he was carrying flickering through the gaps between the gate's old wooden cracks. For a moment, lightning lit up the entire gate and surrounding area, tall trees swaying in the wind, the ground soaked with rain, large puddles forming in wagon tracks.

Just then, the warrior noticed movement out of the corner of its eye to its right. There was someone, or something in the bushes. The warrior instinctually lowered itself closer to the ground, its left hand reaching for the old sack on its back, but its hand stopped when it heard one say in a hushed voice "Come on" and four small beings in dark cloaks ran from the bushes, across the road right up to the gate and one started banging on it loudly. The same small child-like people the warrior rescued not long ago. It looked like their kind was far more common around these lands than the warrior expected.

Then the man who identified himself as "ol' Goatleaf" with a scowl on his face looked out a small window on the gate, seeing no one, he closed it and a moment later, opened a lower one and in a not too polite tone asked "What do you want?!"

One of the small beings replied "We're heading for the Prancing Pony."

Then the old man opened the door and stuck out his lantern to get a better look at the four little men. "Hobbits?" he asked, but more likely stated "Four hobbits!"

"So, that's what you're called..." the being whispered to itself.

"And what's more, out of the Shire by their talk. What business brings you to Bree?" the gatekeeper asked in a more subdued tone

And the same... hobbit, replied "We wish to stay at the inn, our business is our own!"

"All right, young sir, I meant no offence. It's my job to ask questions after nightfall." the old man stepped aside and the hobbits rushed inside, as if they were fleeing from something. "There's talk of strange folk abroad. Can't bee too careful!" he continued as he closed the door.

"You got that right, old man." said the warrior as it stood to its full height

* * *

"Halbarad! The men are tiered, we must make camp for the night!" said Angal

The Rangers have been on the march for the better part of a day now, trudging through the thick undergrowth and now, the deep mud this forsaken storm has brought upon them. By the time they had passed from over the Brandywine just south of the ruins of Annumias, the Ranger parties have reformed into a solid group.

"No! We must continue, Bree is still a good day's march away. We must reach it as soon as we are able."

"If the men collapse then we won't reach it at all!"

Halbarad stood for a moment, placing his hand on a tree to support himself, he closed his eyes and furrowed his eyebrows "Very well, men! Make a fire! Set up camp! We will wait for the storm to pass. Eat and rest! We march at dawn."

As the men were setting up camp, a young Ranger approached Angal as he sat by the fire smoking his pipe, he sat down next to him, lit his own and asked "What do you think we will come upon once we reach Bree?" the nervousness in his voice spoke of his inexperience in the art of war. A man with too few winters under his belt.

"I cannot speak for certain, Aderion. However I do not feel the darkness of the East to be involved. I sense something else, something new moves in this world. Something all the ages have yet not witnessed."

The young Ranger smiled "Your words are always a comfort, father. Even when you speak of a harsh truth."

"Do not trouble yourself, my son. You have grown into a fine young man, and a fine Ranger." he patted his son's shoulder as he stood and walked away to look for Halbarad.

"... Meddan, you will take 15 men and enter the town from the north, I will take the rest and enter Bree from the west, we will meet up at the Mayor's office." Angal could hear as he approached Halbarad as he was in counsel with the other Ranger commanders.

"You seem certain of our quarry's path, Halbarad. How can you be so sure that he will enter Bree? Sure, its path has taken us in that vague direction, but it is not a fact."

"It is a feeling that I've had ever since we came across that cave troll. Every time one of our scouts came across orc or goblins slain by this being, the only thing that was taken from them were their lives, not their food or their flesh. Maybe this being is searching for food, the stars only know how it survived the winter and these many months. It eats what we eat. Only evil eats the flesh of man or of its own. This being does not. And considering its targets and the saved hobbits, I am starting to suspect that we are dealing with a lost agent of good. Lost and confused."

The Rangers all stared wide-eyed at Halbarad. Suddenly it all made sense to them, as if a shattered mirror was made whole again.

Angal smiled as he folded his arms across his chest, as if proud of Halbarad, a man younger than he. Strider always knew who to appoint in command in his absence.

* * *

"God damn it..." the warrior sighed heavily "I'm done waiting." the warrior was growing ever more hungry, it haven't eaten in well over five days and it was saving its last package for a true emergency, this wasn't it. However food provided energy, energy equaled a better warrior, so the warrior made up its mind right then and there. It pulled its feet together and dropped from the top of the tall tree it was standing on, a loud thud marked its impact with the ground. The warrior slowly looked both ways before walking out onto the muddy road, it was about 20 meters from the gate up the road, it looked to the wall "Heh, this is easier than basic." and with small effort, it jumped over the two meter tall stone wall, landing with a wet thud in a small alley between two houses. The warrior looked up and studied the building, running its hand over the side of the house "Don't think that's gonna hold me." luckily, there were stone walls running all over the village, almost like separating districts. The warrior jumped up on the wall and with quick silent steps made its way deeper into the small town. Everybody was too busy to notice the massive figure moving about. Too busy with their own problems the warrior figured "Too bad no one leaves hot pies on window sills here" it muttered witch a chuckle.

As the warrior looked around attentively for any sign of food, its gaze wondered across a wooden hanging sign of a prancing "Pony." the warrior said. The hobbit did say that they were heading here, and, more importantly, it was an inn. As far as the warrior could remember inns were like hotels, never actually being in one. But hotels usually also equaled food "Perfect." The warrior dropped down into an empty alley, pulled its hood up over its head and walked out into the street. By now, very few people were out and even the rain had stopped falling. The warrior slowly made its way towards the building when its sensitive hearing picked up a loud crash and the sound of hoofs coming from the direction of the gate. Someone was coming, and it didn't sound like they were let in. The warrior quickly dove into an alley and slowly peaked out of the dark. Four riders in black robes and hoods appeared, riding dark horses, the riders got off their horses, drew old, chipped swords and headed straight for the inn.

"Why does trouble always seem to find me?" the warrior sighed heavily "No rest for the wicked."

The being pulled the hood from its head and pulled the pack from its back, removing a long, dark grey metal object. It searched a bit more until it removed a few small objects from the bottom of the bag "3 shells. Fuck." It placed the shells inside the metal object, raised it firmly to its shoulder and ran inside after the dark riders.


	4. Chapter 4

Silence reigned inside the inn. The warrior scanned its surroundings, no one in sight so far, it made its way deeper inside, checking every corner in a highly trained manner. Swift and silent motions. Its grip on its weapon strong and also loose, one end of it firmly planted against the warrior's shoulder. The being turned instantly on its heels as it heard wood creak behind it. An old man in what the being guessed were pajamas slowly stood from behind the counter, eyes wide as saucers. The being raised its left index finger to where its mouth would be and then pointed down towards where the old man was hiding. The old man too scared to do anything else nodded hastily and almost dove back into cover, shaking like a leaf.

The warrior turned, making its way towards the stairs moving swiftly, the old wood under its feet eerily silent. Reaching the top of the stairs and looking down the hall, the being saw an open door on the far end right. Just when it took the first step forward the being heard a sound it will never forget, a screech, a cry, like the very souls of the damned were screaming at it. The sound in itself was somewhat annoying, most surprisingly, it didn't phase the warrior at all. The being only got a bit worried for whoever was inside and moved with all the urgency it could muster towards the room. Hesitation all but gone. Time seemed to slow down for the warrior as it made its way inside, locking eyes on its first target.

* * *

"What are they?" a small being asked of his large and mysterious new friend. He sat on a bed with his three friends, all of them scared and jumpy.

The man in question turned his head "They were once men. Great kings of-

*BOOM* *BOOM* They all jumped as two loud noises came from the room the Dark Riders were in, suddenly one came flying out a window down into the street, sprawled out on its back, shortly followed by another of its evil companions.

The tall man and the four hobbits watched in amazement from their dark room, the two riders that were, apparently thrown through the windows didn't get up, couldn't get up for soon a large wardrobe came flying out right on top of them.

The man drew his trusty sword and with a stern voice said to the hobbits "Remain here and bar the door after I leave."

The apparent leader of the small group asked with a worried tone "Where are you going? You can't leave us here."

The man let out a small sigh as he smiled "Worry not, my small friends, I shall return." With that he was out the door and moving swiftly down the hall. The hobbits did as they were told, and using their combined strength, pushed the massive bed made for men up to the old door.

The man stood just a few feet away from the door, even from the other end of the hall, he could hear a scuffle going on, whoever this man was, he was holding his own against the Nazgul. Another reason the proud man couldn't let this would be ally come to any harm, he must help him at all costs! He quickly made his way to the door and almost leaped inside shouting "Elendil!" Only to be met with a most amusing sight. One Rider on the floor struggling with the three beds and table that were piled on top of him. Then the man's gaze wandered left, only to have his breath caught in his lungs in wonder.

A giant of a being, wrapped in worn and muddy old rags, holding a Nazgul by its 'throat', its feet dangling helplessly, its arms clawing at the being, trying to get out of its immensely powerful grip. Just then the being turned to notice a rugged looking man with long dark hair and old worn clothes, sword in his hands, staring wide-eyed at it. The Nazgul finally managed to get a grip on the warrior's cloak and ripped off the hood off the warrior's head, revealing a light green helmet, instead of a face, ocean blue glass in the rough shape of a T.

"What are you?" The man asked in amazement.

The being cocked its head to one side, coming to its senses, noticing the still struggling dark figure it was holding up, the removal of the warrior's hood was rewarded with a toss out the window.

The warrior turned swiftly and moved towards the window to make sure its foe was properly dealt with, only for the man to place a hand on its right arm. "Please. Wait."

The being stopped and looked at the man, it tilted its head down to the man's hand. The dark stranger withdrew his hand and looked at the being with expectation and wonder. The being was tiered of running, hiding in the shadows, it lowered its head as if in defeat and stepped away from the window. It turned and faced the tall man.

"What is your name?" he asked

The being was silent, maybe a bit nervous. "Are you an elf? A man, perhaps?" he asked

When it didn't reply the man decided to introduce himself "I am Strider."

The being turned its head right and pointed to the letters on the top left of its helmet.

Four letters in the Common tongue, maybe he is a man then, the helmet lacked the lavish decorations of elvish armor. "U, N, S, C." Strider spoke each letter, and with each letter, his curiosity and puzzlement grew, the expression on his face was filled with reservation, but also hopefulness "Is that your name?"

The strange warrior shook its head. The answer was no. "Is that the name of your city? Your country perhaps?"

Then, finally, there was an audible low sigh, and finally, words "I so wish you knew what they meant..." said a voice, the voice of a... woman?


	5. Chapter 5

It was midday, but there wasn't much light, the cloud cover from last night's heavy storm made sure of that. The village of Bree felt cold and empty, barely any people on its streets. Those that were walking about, attending to their duties or business made sure to avoid the inn in wide arcs. This fact was not lost upon the men in dark green hoods as they entered the town. Their presence was met with doors and windows closing, mothers pulling their children aside, men staring wide-eyed. It didn't bother the Rangers, people thought them dangerous and rightly so, but for the wrong reasons. Whatever those reasons were, they served the Dunedain well Angal thought to himself as he followed Halbarad and 8 other Rangers.

They made their way towards the inn, rounding a corner they looked up to see broken windows and debris of fine crafted wood, probably furniture sitting in the mud. Halbarad feared for the worst, the broken gates of Brill had muddy hoof prints on it, but this, this was a sure sign, along with the prints in the mud, he was sure, their quarry had come to Brill in the dark.

As Halbarad made his way inside he could hear a man, probably the owner talking animatedly to his regular customers, a few old drunks.

"...that came in after the Dark Riders was huge! It was..." the words froze in the man's mouth as he noticed the hooded figures enter. The old drunks didn't need to be told to leave, they quickly downed their ale and left.

"G-good day, gentlemen." the owner stuttered, worry written across his face, his cheeks redder than usual. The recognition in his eyes was there, he knew these were Rangers.

"Peace, sir. We hold no ill will. We only come baring questions as to last night's events."

The owner released a very audible sigh of relief "Thank me lucky stars, after last night, I don't know how much me old ticker can take."

Halbard gestured to a large table "Please, sit with us, and tell your tale." He hoped that the old owner could shed some light on this mysterious being.

The owner nodded, wiped his hands on a rag and stepped out from behind the counter, he made his way to the table and sat, facing the apparent leader of this group, as the Ranger sat he introduced himself.

"I am Halbarad, this is my second in command, Angal."

"Barliman Butterbur at your service, but everyone only ever calls me Butter." the man was in a slightly better mood now, not being in harm's way anymore, the Rangers waited patiently for him to begin.

"I must tell you, kind sirs, one of you was also here last night..." glances passed between the Rangers "...he was in the company of four hobbits, one, a Mr. Underhill. They asked for a room, and, and then, not long after midnight..." Butterbur looked up with fear on his face "..._they _came."

They? Halbarad was confused. There was more than one of these powerful beings?

"What did you see, Barliman?" the man who was identified as Angal asked with a serious tone.

"I could hear great commotion outside, the Pony isn't far from the gates you see, and me own room faces towards it, I woke from my sleep hearing a great crashing noise coming from the gate. I-I made my way downstairs to see what was going on, I guess a lot of people heard the noise, but none dared to venture out of their homes. I made me way downstairs and peeked out the window. Th-that's when I saw them. Four riders on black steeds, covered in black robes."

Riders? Then Halbarad's eyes grew in fear, he looked to his men "The Nine were here last night." The glances of fear between the Rangers was picked up even by old Butterbur.

Halbarad's expression hardened "Continue."

"W-well, where was I, oh, yes. The moment they stopped in front of me inn, I rushed and hid there..." Barliman gestured with his head towards his counter "...not a moment later, they were inside. I was sure right then and there that fate's cruel hand had come for me, but it didn't. The dark riders made their way straight upstairs, you see. I think they were looking for someone."

"And you are correct, however, we didn't come here because of the riders, we didn't know they had come here."

Right then and there, the expression on Butterbur's face turned to one you would only see on a great and wise elven lord "Yes. The giant. He followed in the footsteps of the dark riders, he made no sound as he moved, the way it moved, it wasn't of this world."

The Rangers were now curious more than ever, a younger one asked "What did he look like?"

Butterbur's brow furrowed in deep thought and then looked up with a smile to the young man "He looked like someone who saved me worthless life. That is why I cannot tell you more."

"What? Why?" asked Angal in confusion and slight anger

"Because I was asked not to, by the Ranger, called himself Strider he did."

"Strider. So he is with this being now?"

"Him and the four hobbits. They left before dawn, to where, I do not know."

* * *

_:flashback:_

The being, the woman looked down upon the man's face, it was frozen with shock "I do not believe it..." he whispered, not in denial or anger, but in utter surprise and astonishment.

"Yeah." the woman chuckled "Most have a hard time with it too."

With her words, he seemed to find himself again "Forgive me, my lady." he said as he sheathed his sword "I meant no insult." he continued, adding a curt bow of his head.

The woman, this warrior just stared at him, before placing the object... weapon onto its back which stuck to it with an audible metal clunk, the sound dampened a bit by the muddy cloth wrappings. So she was wearing armor as well underneath that cover, by the looks of it, she was covered from head to toe, however the cloth hid its shapes very well.

"Who are you?" she asked

"I am Strider." he said, he just told her a moment ago

"That's not what I meant." she replied with a tone in her voice

"All will be answered in time, my lady." he said courtly

"Staff Sergeant."

His brows furrowed in surprise. A rank? Military? What army did she belong to? What kingdom? Aragorn felt slightly frustrated not knowing "I sense we both have questions that require answers, however not now. We must go, I left the hobbits without protection."

"Mr. Underhill?" she asked, he froze

"How do you know that name?" he asked with slight worry

She chuckled again with no malice "I have good ears, very good ears."

He nodded "We must hurry, we cannot stay here, the riders will return in greater numbers if we stay here. We cannot put the people of this village in harm's way."

At that moment she switched from lighthearted to serious and professional "Understood. Lead the way."

They left the room and made their way down the hall to the other end, Strider knocked firmly twice on the door, the woman had her back to his, she was apparently well trained, always keeping an eye out. He noticed how she turned her head slightly to every door, every window, always looking for ways in and out of a room. She was very well trained. However answers to those questions had to wait.

"Hobbits, I have returned."

There was a faint "Just a moment!" from the other side and she could hear something large being pushed away from the door. Then the door opened and a small, child-like man with golden hair and a full face peek out, seeing Strider he immediately opened the door. The moment however he saw the giant warrior he shouted "Strider, look out!" and tossed the first thing that came under his small hand, a plate, which the being aptly caught.

"Hold Sam, she is a friend!"

Then a hobbit quartet as they all said at once, stunned "She?"

"Greetings." she said, a distinct and quite lovely voice of a young woman came from the giant.

The hobbits were stunned, this being, this woman was massive, a bit over 2 meters in height, a beautiful yet slightly intimidating helmet that revealed none of her features, green and blue, the rest of her body wrapped in old, worn dark cloth, she carried herself with strength and certainty.

They were staring, not much unlike the people of her own world, so she pulled the hood back up over her head, covering up most of the helmet, the shadows provided by the dark doing the rest.

"We must hurry, hobbits." Strider broke them out of their trance

The most serious looking hobbit whispered to the Ranger as he was gathering his belongings "Do you trust her, Stider?" he asked

"Time will tell, but for now, we must leave at once and make haste to leave Bree behind."

"Understood, come Sam. Merry, Pip, bring only what you need."

"Right. Where are we going?" the one identified as Merry asked in a surprisingly upbeat tone.

_:end flashback:_


End file.
